Device for testing inflatable articles



March 22 1927.

1,622,252 M. H. PADE DEVICE FOR TESTING INFLATABLE ARTICLES Filed April15. 1925 2 sheets-snag@l 1 .1 E LL ATToRNE I March 22, 1927'. 1,622,22

M. H. vPADE:

DEVICE FOR TESTING INFLATABLE ARTICLES Filed Apri). 15. 1925 2SheeItS-Sheet 2 a# I 54, 35

F19 q- INVENTOR.

M a x H. Pa d 679% ATTORNE Patented Il/l'ar. 22, 1927.

' are leaky.

UNITED STATES 1,622,252 PATENT OFFICE.

MAX H. PADE, OF` AKRON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE FIRESTONE TIRE AND RUBBERCOMPANY, OF .AKRON, OHIO, A CORPORATION Oli` OHIO.

DEVICE FOR TESTING INFLATABLE ARTICLES.

Application filed April 15, 1925. Serial No. 23,404.

This invention relates to devices for testing inflatable articles suchas inner tubes or the like of rubber to ascertain whether they T hechief object of the invention is to provide a simple, highly effectivedevice for continuously carrying the articles in air inflated conditionthrough a tank containing a liquid whereby observers stationed at thetank can ascertain whether the articles are leaky and can separate theleaky articles from the others as they pass from the tank.

Heretofore, in the art of making inner tubes, they have, as a rule, beentested by the use of manually operated devices including a tankcontaining a liquid and a manually operated presser element for forcingthe tube under the the surface of the liquid in the tank. These devicesare slow, a number of them arerequired, and au operative is required foreach device.

The present invention provides for testing tubes or other inflatablearticles while traveling continuously in a stream and with the use of amuch smaller number of operatives for testing a much greater number oftubes in a given time.

. A particular object of the invenf an is to provide a tank and aconveyor for carrying the articles to and from thetank, the conveyorpreferably being adapted to have the articles merely resting thereon,and ,to provide over the lportion of' said conveyor 1n the tank meansfor holding said articles under the surface of the liquid in theA tank.

Anothery object is to provide as the above means a series of travelingflexibly-connected.

elements of such weight as to retain the tubes under the liquid leveland adapted to cause them to travel even should they float out ofcontact with the conveyor.

The foregoing and other objects are obtained by the construction showninthe accompanying drawings and described below. It is to be understoodthat the invention is not limited to the specific construction shown anddescribed.

Of the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a device construction in accordance withthe invention.

Figure 2A is a plan thereof, parts being omitted for the sake ofclearness.

Figure 3 is an enlarged right endview of the feeding-in end of thedevice; and

Figure 4 is an enlarged section on line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings, 10 is a testing tank for holding a liquidsuch as water, the tank 10 being supported between suitable 'framemembers 1l, 11 on cross-bars l2, 12.

A waste outlet 10a and overflow outlet. 10" are provided in tank 10.Arranged for traveling through tank 10 is a conveyor 13 including spacedchains 1.4, 14 between which extend uniformly spaced article-supportingbars 15, 15. The conveyor 13 is trained over pairs of sprockets 16, 16and 17, 17, one pair of which (here shown at 17) may be driven as bybeing secured on a shaftv 18, jouI-naled between two frame members 11 atone end of the device and on each 'side thereof on bars such asindicated at 19, which shaft may be' driven by a sprocket 20, chain 21,sprocket 22 through a reduction 23 driven by a motor 24. Sprockets 16may be carried on a shaft 25 mounted in bearings indicated at 26adjustable on bars 27, 27 carried by members 11 on each side of theother end of the device, bearings 26 being adjustable so as to take uplooseness in conveyor 13.

At the feeding-in end of the device, the chains 14 are adapted to travelon horizontal track rails 28, 28 carried on cross-bars 29- y 'extendmgbetween opposite frame members 11.. In order to direct the conveyor 13down into tank 10, through the tank under the level rof the liquid andthen upwardly out of the tank 10 at the discharge end of the device,spaced, suitably formed track rails 30, 30 are provided, these eachhaving upperv and lower retaining flanges 31 and 32 to positively guidethe chains 14 through tank 10 and being extended horizontally as at 33,33kt the discharge end of the device adjacent sprockets 16. The rails'30are supported in the tank by members 30, 30a depending fromcross-members 30", 30", mounted on opposed members 11. To facilitatesupplying the tubes or other articles onto conveyor 13 away from themarginal edges l thereof so that the articles will not be harmed ordestroyed by being improperly fed into the device, side guard members34, 34 are so mounted on brackets 35, 35 extending over chains 14 oneither side of the ma- .;ehine at the` feeding-in end that articles maybe quickly and rather carelessly thrown onto conveyor 13 and will beproperly positioned thereon. The guards 34 are accordingly so arrangedas to overlie that part of conveyor 13 in tank 10.

Conveyor 36 is of similar construction to conveyor 13 and includes sidechains 37, 37 carrying more closely uniformly spaced bars 38, 38therebetween, the chains 37 being trained over pairs of sprockets 39, 39and 40, 40 respectively on shafts 41 and 42 journaled on beams as at 43and 44 extending between two members 11 on each side of the device.Either set of sprockets 39 or 40 may he driven (the latter being soshown) as by a gear 45.0n shaft 42 meshed with a gear 46 driven by asprocket 47, chain 48 and sprocket 49, the latter being on shaft 18. Thegearing described above is such that conveyors 13 and 36 will travel atthe same speed.

For supporting the upper reaches of chains 37, rails 50, 50 are mountedon crossbars 50a, 50a between a pair of members 11 on each side of themachine. The chains are of sufiicient length so that they and the bars38 which they carry will on the lower reach of the conveyor be suspendedin tank 10 and will rest and track upon spaced rails 51, 51

passing through tank 10 below the level ofv the liquid therein, ,thetracks 51 being supported in tank 10 by `'members 30a. The weight perfoot of the conveyor 36 is such as to overcome the buoyancy of the'tubes there' under to retain them under the liquid in tank 10. f

In opera-tion, conveyors 13 and 36 are continuously driven by motor 24.Operatives inflate the articles such as tubes, and drop them betweenguards 34 onto conveyor 13. Conveyor 13 carries the articles into tank10 and as the articles pass into the' liquidtherein they are engaged byconveyor 36 which presses them under the surface of-the liquid and movesthem through the tank. (.)b Servers standing at the sides of the tank 10can see between the article engaging bars on the conveyors and note anytubes from which air is leaking and bubbling through the liquid andaccordingly will withdraw these from the rest and throw them aside asthe tubes are discharged from the device. As the tubes pass ont of theliquid at the discharge end they again rest on and are carried by.conveyor 13.

It will be seen from the foregoing that a simple but effective apparatushas been provided for feeding the tubes or other articles in a streamto'the vtank'for feeding them through the tank while keeping themdepressed below the level of the liquid therein and for carrying them upout of the tank and discharging them from the apparatus after thetesting operation.

. Modifications of the invention may be re'- sorted to without departingfrom the spirit thereof or the copeof the appended claims.

lVhat is claimed is:

1. Apparatus fortesting inflatable articles comprising a tank for aliquid, conveyor mechanism for loosely supporting the articles andcarrying them into and from the tank, and means over said conveyormechanism in the tank for depressing the article.; below lthe surface ofthe liquid.

2. Apparatus for testing inflatable articles comprising a tankfor aliquid, conveyor mechanism for loosely supporting the articles andcarrying them into and from the tank, and means over said' conveyormechanism in the tank for depressing the articles below the surface ofthe liquid, said means comprising 'comprising a second conveyormechanism synchromzed with the first conveyor mechanism. l

4. Apparatus for testing inflatable' ar-l ticles comprising a tank for aliquid, conmeans over said conveyor mechanism in the tank fordepressingthe articles below the surface of the liquid, said means including aseries of spaced elements between which the articles can be seen.

6. Apparatus for testing inflatable articles lcomprising a tank foraliquid, conveyor mechanism for loosely supporting the articles andcarrying them into and from the tank, and means over said conveyor mechanism .in the tank for depressing the articles .belowthe surface of theliquid, said means including a series of spaced elements between whichthe articles can Vbe seen, and the weight of which is suicienttoovercome the buoyancy of the articles.

7. Apparatus for testing inflatable articles .100 veyor'mechanism forloosely supporting theV com rising a tank for a liquid, conveyor mecanism for loosely supporting the articles and carrying them into andfrom the tank, and means over said conveyor mechanism'in the tank fordepressing the articles below the y surface of the liquid, said meansincluding y A a traveling series of spaced elements between,

inflatable artank including a 0011*.'

which the articles can be seen. '8. A device" for' conveyin ticlesthrough a testing` veyor adapted to receive the articles adjacent oneend thereof and guard plates onelther side of said conveyor adjacentsaid end, said plates overlying 'the marginal ed es of the conveyor andadapted to guide t e articles onto said conveyor.

9. A device for conveying inflatable ar-y ticles through a testing tankincluding a conveyor adapted to receive the articles adjacent vone endthereof and guard plates on either side of said conveyor adjacent saidend, said plates overlying the marginal edges of the'conveyor and sloing inwardly so as to be adapted to guide t e articles ontol saidconveyor.

10. A device. for testing inflatable articles comprisin a testinI tank,a conve or traveling throng vthe tan and means or feeding the articlest0 the tank whereby they will be held against the under side of theconveyor by their buoyancy.

' MAX H. PADE.

